Wearing the Blood Crocodile Bone Hand felt akin to controlling a true ferocious beast.
The ominous baleful aura constantly assailed the wielder.
This was inevitable to control the crocodile bones; it could not be erased, and the drawback had to be endured.
Of course, with Qin Sang's cultivation, suppressing the Blood Crocodile Bone Hand posed no problem at all.
"Did you memorize everything?"
Qin Sang turned his head, glancing at Shen Chen.
Shen Chen, who had just been awed and shaken by the bone hand's terrifying baleful aura, swallowed hard and nodded hurriedly.
Qin Sang nodded, put away the treasure, and left Feiyundu. To save time, he took Shen Chen directly by flight back to Mount Pu.
After bringing Shen Chen back to the Xie clan, he arranged an attic for him within the Qingxu Illusory Realm.
"From now on, you will cultivate here. Until your cultivation yields results, do not go outside unless necessary! If you need anything, have Xie An arrange it for you."
Hearing this, Shen Chen's face fell slightly, but he dared not disobey Qin Sang's order. He repeatedly agreed, thinking to himself that staying inside wasn't bad either—such a fine cave dwelling, with someone waiting on him, was an environment countless people could only dream of.
He was someone who could endure solitude; otherwise, he never could have mastered artifact refining while reaching the mid-Core Formation stage.
Qin Sang instructed Xie An to take Shen Chen to settle down, then turned and entered his cave dwelling.
Inside the cave dwelling.
The avatar was continuously absorbing cold fiend qi from the mysterious ice plate.
Sensing the true body's arrival, the avatar paused his cultivation. The second Nascent Soul flew out from the crown of his head and escaped back into the true body. While being nurtured, the true body also learned of the avatar's progress.
Moments later, a look of pleasant surprise flashed in Qin Sang's eyes.
The avatar's progress was a bit slower than estimated; he had yet to master the Ice Soul Divine Light to great accomplishment.
However, the reason for this was not that he had hit a bottleneck.
In fact, after the avatar began absorbing the cold fiend qi, combined with his prior profound foundation, the advancement of this Daoist art had been extraordinarily smooth.
The reason it took so much extra time was that while practicing the art, being in constant company with the mysterious ice plate day and night had led to a new discovery.
When he first obtained the mysterious ice plate, a thought had occurred to Qin Sang: since this treasure could assist in cultivating the Ice Soul Divine Light, could it also be of aid to the avatar's cultivation technique?
With this in mind, the avatar tested the idea during his cultivation, and unexpectedly made real progress!
The avatar had first absorbed the Ice Soul Astral Essence, and later refined two Kan Mirage Pearls. During all the years the true body was in seclusion, the avatar had also cultivated intermittently, reaching the peak of the mid-Nascent Soul stage.
The avatar was different from Chen Yan.
Chen Yan's cultivation had already reached the threshold, but trapped by an evil art and an unsettled state of mind, she had long been unable to break through. After Freezing Heart with Ice Soul, her path of the Dao became tightly intertwined with the Ice Soul Divine Light. The moment the divine ability reached great accomplishment, it suppressed her inner demons and forced a breakthrough.
To the avatar, however, the Ice Soul Divine Light was merely a Daoist art.
Qin Sang knew that the late Nascent Soul stage was a formidable hurdle, and he had not expected the avatar to break through anytime soon. He had originally intended to focus on his true body first and take his time seeking opportunities for the avatar, yet the mysterious ice plate had unexpectedly provided an opening.
Truly worthy of a treasure brought into the tomb by the Master of the Water Phase—the mysterious ice plate was indeed an extraordinary curio!
Of course, what the avatar perceived now was merely a window of opportunity. Only after he fully mastered the Ice Soul Divine Light and achieved sufficient control over the cold fiend qi could he deduce his cultivation technique and untangle a clear path forward.
For the next several years, Qin Sang's true body also remained within the Qingxu Illusory Realm.
He spent a full seven years in closed-door seclusion.
Neither the true body nor the avatar stepped a single foot out of the cave dwelling.
Inside, two figures sat cross-legged facing one another. The mysterious ice plate floated on the side near the avatar, while the Heavenly Eye Butterfly lay beside the true body, the auras of demonic fire and Near-Dragon Saliva alternating around them.
All three pursued their own tasks without distraction.
Throughout these seven years, this scene persisted virtually unchanged.
Suddenly, the true body seemed to sense something and abruptly opened his eyes, a brilliant gleam bursting from them as he stared fixedly at the avatar's hands.
Only then did the Heavenly Eye Butterfly sense it. As if awakening from a dream, she cast a dazed look at the avatar, instinctively fluttering her wings against Qin Sang's true body before returning to focus on refining the energy of the Near-Dragon Saliva.
At some point, the avatar had folded his hands over his knees, palms cupped as if cradling the moon. The power of the Ice Soul Divine Light converged in his palms, giving rise to thick, billowing frigid mist.
Had Qin Sang witnessed Chen Yan's breakthrough back then, he would have recognized the difference at a glance.
The commotion Chen Yan had caused back then was far smaller than the avatar's, consisting of only a single layer of chill.
At this moment, the avatar was almost completely engulfed in heavy, frigid mist, his figure barely visible. Part of the mist was formed by the Ice Soul Divine Light affecting the surroundings, but even more of it was the manifestation of the cold fiend qi!
As time passed, the avatar gradually gathered the frigid mist until it all converged into his palms, blending into the Ice Soul Divine Light.
He held a snow-white ice sphere that was entirely opaque.
Cradling the snow-white orb, the avatar silently recited an incantation. The mysterious ice plate vibrated slightly as wisps of cold fiend qi were drawn out from it, drifting toward the avatar.
More precisely, they drifted toward the ice sphere in his hands, merging into it without the slightest impediment.
Since beginning his seclusion, the avatar's actions had always been cautious; this was the first time he acted so aggressively, drawing upon vast amounts of cold fiend qi.
The temperature in the cave dwelling plummeted sharply into extreme cold.
*Whoosh...*
Wind howled.
The true body felt no fierce wind; the sound originated from the ice sphere in the avatar's hands.
At this moment, a miniature storm of chilling energy had formed inside the ice sphere, seething with incomparably violent force. If it exploded, it would be enough to destroy the entire cave dwelling!
Before long, the surface of the ice sphere warped, gradually turning into a white vortex. Boundless cold fiend qi was confined within, its instability clearly visible to the naked eye.
Even under such circumstances, the avatar did not halt. He stared intently at the vortex in his palm, continually channeling more cold fiend qi into it.
The howling grew increasingly piercing, echoing through the modest cave dwelling.
The spiral arms of the vortex began to bleed cold air outward—a herald of collapse!
Finally, the avatar let out a low cry. His internal aura surged, and the vortex suddenly contracted inward!
A breathtaking scene unfolded: the violent energy on the verge of erupting was forcefully compressed from the size of a palm into a speck of white light, which the avatar abruptly absorbed into his body.
In the next moment, his body shuddered, and an unusual cold glare burst forth from the depths of his eyes.
The true body shifted his gaze to the avatar's face, waiting in full vigilance.
He saw the avatar's aura rise and fall erratically, as though stormy waves were surging inside him. The cold light in his eyes grew increasingly dense until his pupils turned completely pale white, as if sealed in mystic ice.
*Phew...*
After a period of silence, the avatar exhaled a long breath. The cold light in his eyes swiftly receded, returning to normal, and his aura smoothed out.
Seeing this, the true body relaxed, a smile appearing on his face.
The Ice Soul Divine Light had finally reached great accomplishment!
After regulating his breathing, the avatar fully recovered and woke from meditation. Walking out of the cave dwelling alongside the true body, he silently channeled the technique; white cold light welled up in his eyes, turning them stark white in an instant.
Just like moments before.
*Swish!*
A point of white light abruptly appeared in the void and burst out instantly, freezing a vast expanse of space.
The frozen region was permeated with dense cold fiend aura. The commotion was so grand that even Shen Chen, who was cultivating on the other side of the Qingxu Illusory Realm, felt the disturbance.
The avatar and the true body exchanged a glance.
The Ice Soul Divine Light had indeed changed beyond recognition. Compared to the original version, it lost its subtle concealment, but the speed at which it erupted surpassed Chen Yan's, and its might was even greater.
A mixture of pros and cons.
……
Following this, the avatar continued his seclusion in the Qingxu Illusory Realm.
Qin Sang had originally planned that once the avatar mastered the Ice Soul Divine Light and gained a major boost in strength, he would send the avatar out to take the Gu God Token and attempt to make contact with the Gu God Sect.
Now that he had perceived an opportunity for a breakthrough, cultivation naturally took precedence.
With sufficient strength, one needed not fear so many things, and conducting affairs would become far easier.
Once the true body refined the Near-Dragon Saliva and the core of the demonic fire, and both the Heavenly Eye Butterfly and the avatar achieved breakthroughs, the combined force of the true body and the avatar would amount to two great cultivators who had mastered top-tier divine abilities and possessed spirit treasures.
Below the Deity Transformation stage, they would hardly find a rival!
Such temptation was impossible for anyone to resist. Unless there was new progress regarding the critical matters he cared most about, Qin Sang's choice would undoubtedly be to continue his seclusion.
After achieving great accomplishment in the Ice Soul Divine Light, the avatar devoted all his energy to cultivation, combing through the *Record of Pure Subtlety* from the beginning to find points of harmony between the cultivation technique and the cold fiend qi, seeking out the opportunity for breakthrough.
The true body would occasionally step outside to instruct Shen Chen and maintain contact with Six Prefectures Hall.
Following his late-night discussion with Qin Sang, Mu Tongshu had secretly mobilized the resources of Six Prefectures Hall to investigate the origin of the meteoric iron fragments.
However, as the Ullambana Assembly drew nearer, Six Prefectures Hall, as a merchant association, had to pour all its efforts into preparing for the grand event and could not spare much manpower. Thus, the investigation yielded little progress.
Knowing this could not be rushed, Qin Sang did not press them, turning his attention to the Ullambana Assembly as well.
This Ullambana Assembly captivated not only the cultivators of the Central Plains; from the Northern Wilderness in the north to the Western Desert in the west, the eyes of the entire cultivation world would be fixed on Jinyu Prefecture.
In the cultivation world, stability was never the norm.
Without Deity Transformation cultivators to deter chaos, although it might not shake the positions of Bajing Belvedere and Ganlu Zen Monastery or alter the overarching structure of the Central Plains, undercurrents of filth and ambition would inevitably rise to the surface.
Countless schemers lurked in the dark.
All manner of disturbances were bound to unfold.
This was precisely the opportunity Qin Sang had been waiting for.
When the time was ripe, the true body and avatar would burst onto the stage together, orchestrating affairs and stirring the winds of change!
Spring gave way to autumn.
Even the plants and trees in the Qingxu Illusory Realm followed the changing seasons, undergoing cycles of withering and flourishing.
No matter how the cultivation world shifted, it could not yet affect modest Fudu Commandery. The Xie clan and Loutai Belvedere supported each other, flourishing steadily.
The strength of Mount Pu and Loutai Belvedere grew by the day. Among the younger generation, new disciples formed their cores; whenever someone was on the verge of breaking through, they would be sent to the Qingxu Illusory Realm.
Knowing this was the secluded cultivation place of the Patriarch, they were filled with awe and trepidation, harboring great curiosity toward two restricted areas within the realm.
One was Qin Sang's cave dwelling.
The other was the attic where Shen Chen cultivated, which only Xie An was permitted to approach.
For now, Qin Sang did not want anyone connecting his true body with his avatar.
"If only things could remain this peaceful forever!"
Most disciples thought this way, but the tragic news arriving from the north from time to time reminded them that slaughter was ever-present; it simply had not yet reached Mount Pu.
……
"I nearly forgot about the Ullambana Assembly..."
A soft sigh echoed within the cave dwelling.
Qin Sang's true body woke from meditation and put away the fire lotus and the demonic banner.
Having lost the source of energy from the Near-Dragon Saliva, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly also gently stirred awake. Shifting into an ordinary butterfly, she slipped into Qin Sang's dantian.
Calculating the time, the Ullambana Assembly would soon begin.
He turned his head to glance at the avatar.
The avatar was still absorbed in deducing the cultivation technique, wisps of cold fiend qi circling his fingertips. Compared to when he first began seclusion over a decade ago, he had made considerable progress, though it was still shy of complete mastery.
The true body was in the same boat, having refined only nearly half of the Near-Dragon Saliva.
Because of this, he had not attended a single treasure exchange or auction during this period.
However, the Ullambana Assembly could not be missed, and Qin Sang prepared to head over early.
Stepping out of the cave dwelling, he summoned Xie An.
"Has Mount Bunian sent anyone over?" Qin Sang asked.
Xie An shook his head. "This disciple recently inquired with other sects in Zhuo Prefecture, and none could establish contact with Mount Bunian."
Qin Sang was somewhat surprised. "Just what are Situ Yu and Lu Zhang doing? Does Mount Bunian really intend to seal their mountain for a hundred years and completely forfeit their interests at the Ullambana Assembly?"
He had originally planned to have the avatar appear under the identity of the Xie clan's patriarch and attend the Ullambana Assembly alongside Mount Bunian, which would be entirely aboveboard.
With Mount Bunian adamant about sealing their mountain, if the avatar went alone, he would likely be targeted by Mount Bunian's rivals and face inevitable provocations.
He had no choice but to go as his true body through Six Prefectures Hall's channels.
To avoid encountering another ambush along the way, Qin Sang had the avatar pause his cultivation as well, returning the second Nascent Soul into the true body so they could set off together.
Rather than rushing off to Jinyu Prefecture, he first paid a visit to Feiyundu.
It happened that Jiang Mu was also at Feiyundu.
The moment they met, a broad smile spread across Jiang Mu's face.
"Elder Qin, arriving early is never as good as arriving just in time! The hall happens to have a batch of treasures to transport to Jinyu Prefecture for auction. None of the three hall masters can pull themselves away, and I was just worrying over our lack of manpower... Things in the north are far from peaceful these days!"
Qin Sang chuckled. "Brother Jiang, you haven't been waiting for me all this time, have you?"
Jiang Mu sighed. "The world really has grown more chaotic than before; lately I've felt quite uneasy! Even when the situation was at its most stable, the association was ambushed several times. In the most vicious incident, not only were our goods plundered, but over a hundred people on board were slaughtered to silence them. The Hall Master was furious and personally took action, hunting the culprits all the way into the Western Desert and executing every last bandit, striking fear across Zhongzhou!"
Six Prefectures Hall was the least eager to see the stability of the Central Plains shattered.
As they talked, the two flew toward the treasure ship moored at the northern shore of Feiyundu.
"Are there any changes to the schedule for this Ullambana Assembly?" Qin Sang cast a glance westward, in the direction of Ganlu Zen Monastery.
Past assemblies had largely followed the same procedure.
If there was a sudden departure this time, Ganlu Zen Monastery surely had other designs.
"There are indeed some differences from before."
Assuming Qin Sang was inquiring about trading opportunities, Jiang Mu explained in detail.
"This assembly will feature two grand auctions, held in the three days before and after the assembly proper. Both will be led by the Jinyu Sect. Only the Jinyu Sect possesses such immense wealth; word has it that they will bring out numerous rare and precious treasures, making it an occasion not to be missed.
"Because of this, there won't be any major treasure exchanges before the first auction, as everyone is preparing for it.
"Three days after the first auction concludes, the assembly officially commences. The schedule will follow tradition, consisting of contests in alchemy, artifact refining, talismans, and techniques, along with scriptural debates and the like. That has little to do with us, so we can simply watch for entertainment.
"During the days the assembly is underway, there will be treasure exchanges every night. Vice Hall Master Jiang You will compile an index by then.
"For the exchanges hosted by our hall, we hope Elder Qin will make an appearance to deter any petty troublemakers.
"There is another special circumstance for this assembly: rumors of the Deity Transformation cultivators' disappearance have circulated for years, and long-hidden powers may reemerge. It is expected that at the treasure exchanges, people will not only trade treasures but also conspire in secret. If Elder Qin does not wish to be drawn into the maelstrom, please be careful not to make any promises lightly..."
Chapter 1600